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Scholarship Call For Entries Now Open for APRO, TRIB and 5 State Associations

APRO Scholarship Call for Entries
APRO Scholarship Winners Liz Lytton and Mary Cleek at APRO Fuse 2017 convention.
APRO, TRIB, and the Kansas, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee Rental Dealer Associations announce this year’s call for applications for the APRO Education Foundation Scholarships and the respective state association scholarships. Application deadline is June 30th. Completed applications must be received in the APRO offices by 5 PM Central on June 30th or the application will be disqualified. Applicants must be an employee or child of an employee of an APRO member in good standing. Applicants must submit proof that they have been accepted into an accredited college for the 2017 Fall semester. Applicants must submit proof of a 3.0 or better from their high school if they’re an incoming freshman or as a current university student. Applicants must submit two narrative essays. One on why they deserve the scholarship and another on the value of rent-to-own industry in America. The narratives will be the most important part of the judging process. Regarding APRO’s scholarship, the number of students awarded and dollar amount per student will be determined by this year’s fundraising efforts and quality of applicants. Last year, 58 scholarships were awarded totaling more than $100,000. TRIB will award $14,000 to TRIB/APRO member employees or their children. The Florida Rental Dealers Association (FRDA) will award $4000 worth of scholarships to FRDA member employees or their children. The Kansas Rental Dealers Association (KRDA) will award three $1500 scholarships to KRDA member employees or their children. The Missouri Rental Dealers Association (MRDA) will award two $1000 scholarships in recognition of APRO’s Executive Director “Bill Keese’s Service to the RTO Industry”. Applicants must be children from a manager level or below of a MRDA member company. The Oklahoma Rental Dealers Association (ORDA) will award one $2,500 for ORDA RTO dealers employees and their children. The Tennessee Rental Dealers Association (TRDA) will be awarding four $2500 scholarships to TRDA member employees or their children. It is very important to read the detailed information regarding application process, eligibility criteria, judging priorities and to download an official application.    

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Mike Lewis

Central Properties dba Premier Rental-Purchase

Mike Lewis is a Premier Rental Purchase franchisee with multiple stores and currently serves as Vice President of Operations. With 33 years of experience in the rent-to-own industry, he has spent the past 20 years working closely with franchisee owners and previously spent 12 years in Corporate RTO, gaining a strong foundation in the business.

For the past five years, Mike has been sharing his knowledge by teaching managers and franchisees at the company’s Training Center.

Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, kids, and grandkids, and appreciates the simple things in life – especially riding his Harley Davidson with the sun on his face. If you know, you know!

Lauren Talicska

Arona Corporation dba Arona Home Essentials

Lauren Talicska is an experienced multi-channel marketing specialist and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Arona Home Essentials. She has found her home in the RTO community, supporting stores in branding, growth, and increasing traffic.

You may recognize Lauren as a former RTO vendor, including her time as a partner for Nationwide RentDirect, or her previous participation in the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee. Lauren calls Columbus, Ohio, home and spends her workday crafting and executing marketing promotions from inception to realization, all while supporting the branding and social media needs of all the Arona stores in 12 states (plus Puerto Rico!).

Charles Smitherman

APRO

Charles Smitherman, JD, PhD, CAE, became CEO of APRO in 2023, bringing years of legal and executive experience in the rent-to-own industry. 

Prior to joining the association, Charles served as COO, General Counsel, and Vice President of PTS Financial Services, where he played an active role in the rent-to-own industry by representing his company through PTS’s club program offering with APRO member dealers. Charles is an attorney with two decades of experience across a wide variety of areas, including RTO, consumer financial services, antitrust, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, franchise law, and privacy law. Following law school at the University of Georgia, Charles earned a Master of Legal Studies and PhD in Law from the University of Oxford in England.

Charles is credentialed as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with the American Society of Association Executives, a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with the International Franchise Association, and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals. As APRO’s sixth CEO in its 45-year history, he brings a collaborative, member-focused approach to association leadership, emphasizing transparency, advocacy, and value creation. Outside of work, Charles is an active ultra runner and open water swimmer.

Mike Kays

Ashley Furniture Industries

As VP of Rental Sales for Ashley Furniture Industries, Mike thrives on building relationships with our RTO industry veterans, and helping businesses grow through new product, new marketing, and new supply chain options.

Mike works to leverage a wide breadth of relationships and influence, intimate knowledge of market trends, and unique knowledge of what RTO dealers need from a supplier to be successful.

The saying goes that a high tide raises all boats, and our goal is to leverage the world’s largest furniture manufacturer to drive the continued growth of the RTO industry and all the suppliers.

Mike Tissot

Countryside Rentals Inc., dba Rent-2-Own

Mike grew up in the rent-to-own industry under the guidance of his father, former APRO President and RTO legend Darrell Tissot. For nearly 25 years, Mike’s innovative leadership has helped expand the family business to more than 40 stores across Ohio and Kentucky while also shaping the industry as a whole.

He has served as President of the Ohio Rental Dealers Association, an APRO board member and Treasurer, and President and Treasurer of the TRIB Group. His contributions have earned him the APRO President’s Award of Excellence and the title of APRO Rental Dealer of the Year.

Outside of RTO, Mike enjoys time at the lake house or in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his girlfriend, Angela Strong McCool. A passionate Cincinnati Reds fan, he rarely misses a game, whether watching or listening alongside his parents. He also takes every opportunity to visit Arizona, where his daughter is currently attending Arizona State University.